Marvel Studios’ Ironheart brilliantly debuted with three episodes. This way, people can truly get into the show without having to wait weeks for episodic releases. Some of the benefits viewers were given are a clear idea of who the characters are, their motivations, and what struggles they’ll encounter.
Thanks to review bombing (the same kind that ruined the cinematic debuts of Captain Marvel and The Marvels), Ironheart isn’t getting the respect it deserves. Thankfully, as Screen Rant said, fans are fighting back and giving it a chance to shine. Hopefully, people will tune in because it's worth watching.
Some of the Disney Plus show’s greatness can be attributed to the changes made from the source material. These seven examples show what was altered to make Ironheart a must-see.
1. A different college experience
At the beginning of her run in Marvel Comics, Riri Williams was not kicked out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) for damages to their campus or plagiarism. She opted to drop out. However, after taking advice from Blade, she returns to M.I.T.
After that, she stays at the college and creates a new AI named Neuro-Autonomous Technical Assistant & Laboratory Intelligence Entity (or N.A.T.A.L.I.E.).
2. She was more successful with her first suit
During Invincible Iron Man No. 7 (written by Brian Michael Bendis, with art by Mike Deodato Jr.) and later in Invincible Iron Man: Ironheart Vol. 1 (Brian Michael Bendis and Stefano Caselli), you learn that while Riri’s first mission wasn’t flawless, it was successful. Also, in Civil War 2, Riri is shown battling veteran heroes with the tech suit she designed and built.
All of this is a more successful origin for the character than what we saw in the MCU show. However, Marvel Studios' Ironheart isn't the source material. The changes to Riri's beginning added more heart and drama to her story than the comics' version.
3. Her mother was more supportive
When Riri came back home during Ironheart, her mother (Ronnie) and her friends were discussing Riri acting out in college. They weren’t wrong. Riri was doing things she shouldn’t have done.
Nevertheless, it comes off a bit more negative than her experience in the comics, where her mother was supportive of her daughter’s choice. She was nervous, but supportive.
4. Tony Stark visited her
Before Tony Stark was beaten into a coma (Civil War 2 finale), he visited Riri and Ronnie at their home, and he was more than encouraging. Stark was impressed by everything Riri accomplished and proud of how confident she was. In that one meeting, Tony realized that someone would be around to carry on his legacy.
It would have been cool to see something like this in the Disney+ show. The problem is that it may have taken away from the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which acted as her official beginning in the live-action franchise. So, for the sake of the show, the Marvel Cinematic Universe version makes more sense.
5. Natalie and Demetrius
Riri didn’t have a great relationship with Demetrius in the comics. In the show, however, she seemed to have a great bond with her stepfather Gary. That’s why he (and Riri’s best friend, Natalie) died in his garage while working on a car instead of at a picnic. It showed that there was more to their relationship than just Riri being annoyed by him.
Riri's grief over the loss of both her stepfather and best friend inform her arc throughout the series and it's very effective given how close she clearly was to both of them.
6. Riri wasn't a criminal
When Ironheart was getting started in the Marvel Comics, she didn’t work with Parker Robbins (The Hood) or a criminal group to take down wealthy people; she did a lot of things on her own. In the show, however, she forms an alliance with the Hood's group. It’s an uncharacteristic change, but again, it works for the show.
Having Riri succeed at everything isn’t something people would have gravitated to. She needs adversity for fans to get behind her.
7. Tony Stark was her second AI
One of the biggest problems with Ironheart’s armor in the comics is that it needed better AI. Sadly, she didn’t have the means to create one. After Tony Stark was put out of commission (again, Civil War 2), he left his protégé with an AI based on himself. A little arrogant, but very Tony Stark.
It's unlikely that we'll see this in the show given that the studio would likely be reluctant to bring Tony Stark back - AI or not - after his sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame.
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